As important as having a good product is knowing how and
where to store it in the best way so that it retains its characteristics and
has greater reach in the value chain. Decipher together the types of storage
and which are the most convenient for your business.
From the moment that trade appeared, the law of supply and
demand made it necessary to have a stock (merchandise stored) sufficient to
meet the volumes of the commercial dynamics. This is how the greater amount of
a product is sold, the greater must be the stock that supports it. Today
everything is susceptible to be stored, from obvious things such as food or raw
materials to intangible things such as information or air, without forgetting
less conventional "products" such as biological ones: blood, organs
or even sperm.
There is a great variety of warehouses and there are many
factors to take into account when deciding which of these will be the
appropriate option. It is not the same store food as sports equipment, beauty
products or vehicles. If we are more strict and exact, there are different
characteristics and management recommendations for each "family" of
products; For example, foods could be classified into subgroups taking into
account their perishable qualities: canned, dry grains, meat or fresh vegetables,
just to mention a few.
Below you will find a practical guide to the types of
storage and what to take into account when storing merchandise: how to do it,
advantages and disadvantages and when it is advisable or not.
Types Of Storage
Taking into account the product and its characteristics, we
can determine the degree of environmental protection it requires, whether in a
controlled, covered or discovered enclosure.
Covered Storage
It is the one that offers the greatest protection to the
elements and materials stored there since it is possible to control various
variables such as humidity, temperature, lighting and many others that directly
influence the preservation and useful life of the products. There are brick,
cement, specialized canvas, metal panels and even materials that help to
preserve the temperature, such as resins.
Uncovered Storage
As its name indicates, they are those that are outdoors and
without any special control outside the security, because there are stored
products that by their nature are not highly affected by climatic or
environmental conditions: automobiles, some construction materials and as a
general rule, non-perishable products. Generally, these deposits are demarcated
with reflective tapes and delimited by fences, fences, fences, and canvas,
located outdoors. In some cases, additional protection is usually used directly
on the packaging of the products, such as plastics, special tarpaulins and any
element of anticorrosive properties.
Another important factor when choosing the most suitable
type of warehouse is the kind of material to be stored, determining the nature
of the product and its role in the production process.
Storage Of Raw Materials
It is the primary storage within the production chain and is
usually located as close as possible to the production plant or transformation
site.
Storage Of Intermediate Products
Also called semi-finished, is where those elements that have
already undergone a process of assembly or manufacturing but are still in an
intermediate stage of it, serving as a link between the different phases of the
production line. They must be located inside the factory since they handle very
short waiting times for their use. They should always be available.
Storage Of Finished Products
It is the most common and the one that has more value for
the company since it keeps the product of its economic activity. The amount of
products stored there is directly proportional to the guidelines, projections
of the company and demand of them by consumers; therefore, it must guarantee
constant availability and high inventory turnover.
Storage Of Accessories
In this warehouse, all the elements that serve as auxiliary
material are deposited in the manufacturing process of the main product or the
accessories and other accessories that may be required.
Storage Of Spare Parts
This warehouse is designed to respond to the company's
after-sales needs. It is there where all the necessary spare parts for the
maintenance of the product are stored.
Storage Of Files
It is dedicated to the plans, records, sketches and other
designs necessary for the manufacture of the products, besides keeping all the
legal and accounting documents of the company, everything related to
information. The costs of distributing the product also play an important role
when defining or choosing a storage type. That is why we must take into account
what is their role in the logistics of this process.
Storage Of Plant Or Home Matrix
It is the one that is closest to the production plant. Its
objectives are to reduce transport and handling costs, be the holder of the
main stock and distribute to regional warehouses.
Regional Storage
It is arranged by zones in strategic places to achieve the
distribution of the product in less than a day. On average, the
best warehousing solutions must have the technical capacity to receive merchandise from the
production plants in large lorry, of large tonnage and, eventually, distributed
to smaller stores, direct sales or retailers.
Platform Storage
It can basically fulfil regional
storage functions but is
smaller and its focus is to increase the level of customer service by
decreasing the stock. The level of mechanization, handling techniques and
equipment play a crucial role in the use that can be made of one or another warehouse,
since not all the goods can be or should be stored with certain tools or
mechanical equipment.
Block Storage
For this type of storage, the resistance of the goods to be
stacked must be taken into account, since columns are formed by references. A
coefficient of 1.5 must be applied in relation to the resistance of the base to
guarantee the stability of the column. It is recommended for products that
handle few references but many quantities, for example, buckets of milk,
washing powder, bricks or building blocks, among others.
Conventional Storage
They are those in which it is counted on forklifts of the
retractable mast for the storage of the merchandise, never surpassing a height
of 8 meters in its highest point. The last of the decisive factors to choose
the most suitable warehouse for your company has to do with the legal status of
the place as such, since depending on the choice made will result in higher
expenses or exemption from them.
Own Store
It is the most traditional of all but has been declining
compared to other more profitable options in terms of exploitation of the
property, since it implies making part of the business the physical complex and
the land, assuming expenses that are not necessarily related to the economic
activity of the company.
Warehouse and Renting
These two are the most used options because they do not need
an initial investment and their costs vary in relation to the needs of the
business. The renting for its part assumes maintenance services and
contemplates longer periods of use.
Warehouse In Leasing
Leasing is another type of lease in which the
property is rented to end up buying it at the end of the contract for a value
that is stipulated by both parties at the time of signing.
